Genealogy, local history and historical research in New England and other interesting places. Nutfield was the former land grant ................................. that is now the towns of Londonderry, Derry and Windham, New Hampshire.

Pages

Sunday, March 31, 2013

Familiar Sights through Foreign Eyes

I met Jill Ball, the Australian Genealogist, at RootsTech last week. We had been "virtual friends" online for a long time, but there is nothing like finally meeting another blogging friend in person. When we found out that Jill and her husband would be in Boston this week we asked if they would like to spend an afternoon touring the sights nearby with us. I'm so glad they said yes! I've taken many foreign visitors to see Lexington, Concord, Salem and Plymouth, but usually these were Spanish cousins and I didn't quite understand their questions, or know how to explain the history. This time it was so much fun to have not only English speakers, but friends with a common British heritage.

Robert Ball posed on a milemarker we found along Battle Road, between the towns of Lexington and Concord. We had met up with Jill and Robert at their hotel right on Boston Harbor that afternoon. The milemarker reads 14 miles. Imagine the Continental Army marching from Boston Harbor to face battle and then return to Boston again all in one day, facing defeat and sniper fire from the Colonists all the way back on the return. It must have seemed like an endlessly long trip!

At the Old North Bridge in Concord we met up with a re-enactor dressed as a British Regular by the grave to the "Unknown British Soldier". Every time we visit here, there is someone dressed as a Redcoat here to answer questions, standing at attention by the grave site. Even American tourists are surprised to see the thoughtful attention given to the fallen British dead. Although the Victorian era language on the American plaques to the Minutemen seems inflammatory and archaic, this quiet gesture towards remembering our British common heritage is always touching to me. It was fun to see Jill and Robert pose with the soldier.

We ended the day at the Wayside Inn in Sudbury, made famous by the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and philanthropist Henry Ford. At the Wayside Inn, the British Union Jack flies over the door until April 19th every year, and then the American flag flies later. We enjoyed a few drinks in the old fashioned tavern room while waiting for our table for dinner. What a wonderful day to share with a bunch of history minded friends! It was also so much fun to spend time together with a very fun couple, and we hope to see them again at another genealogy event or even in Australia maybe someday.

Very nice, and what a lovely day you had to visit my old hometown, Lexington. Heather, what ancestors do you and Jill share? Is it the Ball line that I have? I'm sure they had a lovely time seeing those sights.

Robert Ball and I discussed the Ball line in Massachusetts but we have no idea if we have a common ancestor. Do you know where the Balls originated in England? I don't have any information on their origins or what ship they arrived on. Interestingly, Robert also has a Munroe/Monro ancestor, too, but from the Hebrides in Scotland.

Copyright

You may NOT use the contents of this site for commercial purposes without explicit permission from the author and blog owner. Commercial purposes includes blogs with ads and income generating features, and/or blogs or sites using feed content as a replacement for original content. Full content usage is not permitted.

My Family Tree Information

Google+ Followers

Followers

Networked Blogs

About Me

Author of the Nutfield Genealogy blog and occasional genealogy speaker. My family research includes Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine, with a smattering of Nova Scotia. Please contact me if you see your ancestors on this blog. I would love to share information. I am the former secretary of the New Hampshire Mayflower Society, former President of the Londonderry Historical Society, member of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, the Mass. Society of Genealogists, The National Genealogical Society, and the New Hampshire Society of Genealogists.